Page 54 of Silver Angel

“But Omar was unable to learn anything from that cutthroat Jamil brought back with him. I still shudder to think how close they came to succeeding in killing him. He had no weapon on him, Haji! When has Jamil ever left the palace without a weapon before?”

“Which only proves the power this girl has over him, if she could upset him that much. I think it would be wise to be extremely careful in our dealings with her henceforth.”

“I will see she has anything she wants if she is deserving of it,” Rahine said with glowering irritation. “I won’t change my policies in dealing with his women just because he has.”

Haji shook his head at such stubbornness, but Rahine wouldn’t be Rahine without it. “Will you at least strive for your renowned control where she is concerned? She seems to have the power to make you lose it, as well as your son.”

Rahine made a very unladylike sound that caused the eunuch to grin before she demanded, “I assume that you have already set things in motion and sent someone to fetch her to the baths?”

“Of course. The feast won’t last but a few hours.”

“Again we are expected to work miracles. So be it. What color did you select for her?”

“Blue, to soothe her nerves and his temper, should it arise again, Allah forbid.”

Rahine’s lips quirked finally. “Very appropriate, but then you can always be depended upon to think of such things. I will bring along my sapphires to complement your choice. Hopefully the next time he summons her, she will have her own jewels.”

“Your attitude is already improving, Rahine.”

“Let us pray hers has as well.”

Their prayers were not to be answered. One of the bath attendants met them before they reached thehammam.

Breathless from running, the girl cried fearfully, “You must hurry,lalla!Kadar is having difficulty restraining the English girl without hurting her!”

“Restraining? Why?”

“She is fighting him,lalla.”

Rahine scowled darkly. “Was someone stupid enough to tell her she had been summoned by the Dey?”

The girl’s horrified expression was answer enough. “You can’t blame them, Rahine,” Haji said reasonably, though he was frowning now, too. “It’s an honor, after all, that anyone would assume—”

“The whole harem knows why she was banished to the kitchens! You can’t keep secrets here.” But then Rahine groaned. “Oh, never mind. What’s done is done. So much for hoping she might be more agreeable this time.” And then, determinedly: “Haji, you had better fetch something to calm her, and quickly. With all that we have to do to prepare her, there is no time for this silliness. I’ll meet you there.”

Rahine ran the rest of the way to thehammam, which was fortunately empty at this time of the evening except for a few attendants. The sight that met her eyes at first glance seemed an embrace, for Haji’s slave, Kadar, had his arms wrapped around Shahar, her back to his chest, his head bent to her ear. It was only when Rahine saw Kadar’s hands gripping the girl’s wrists, which were crossed in front of her body, and the two bleeding stripes on Kadar’s cheek, as well as the many smaller scratches on his arms, that the illusion ended. Shahar’s face was also beet red from her straining with all her might to get free of Kadar’s hold. She appeared not to hear at all the calming, beseeching words he was whispering in her ear.

“So we resort to violence again, do we?”

Chantelle glanced up to see Rahine’s disapproving countenance and snapped, “Go to hell, madame!”

Rahine clucked her tongue. “I hope we aren’t going to rehash the same arguments, because the consequences of resisting your master still apply, you know.”

“My so-calledmasterisn’t here, but if he was, you can bloody well believe I’d—”

The rest of that tempestuous statement was squeezed off as Kadar tightened his arms around her midsection. Rahine stepped closer and lifted Chantelle’s chin to meet pure fury in the narrowed violet gaze. If eyes could snarl…

“So you obviously are incapable of learning from your mistakes. You are not ready to be returned to more comfortable quarters?”

“Never!” Then Chantelle accused, “You said he would forget me!”

“Wishful thinking on my part, I’m afraid,” Rahine returned dryly.

“What happens this time when I resist him?”

“I honestly don’t know, my dear. You’ve sorely tested his patience already. He isn’t used to waiting for what he wants.”

“Too bad,” Chantelle sneered with such derision that Rahine actually chuckled. That only increased Chantelle’s outrage. “I’m not going this time! Tell him I fell into a vat of stew and drowned!”